China relaxes film censorship, what does it mean for Hollywood?

The Chinese government may be realizing that a little sex, drugs and violence may be good for business. China's state media regulator announced that it will eliminate 20 items from its oversight, which may result in more relaxed censorship guidelines in the near future productions trying to get approval to play in the country.

The State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television wants to streamline approval for cultural content. In doing so, “the administration will stop managing radio plays and relax censorship over films, adding that summaries for such productions will still be subject to public notification.” Per the announcement Chinese filmmakers will be able to shoot "ordinary content" without having to get approval on a full script, some productions can now just submit a summary.

In regards to television production local government will now have more responsibility. “Provincial departments will now be responsible for censoring domestic TV programs that feature foreign producers,” according to the announcement.

Hollywood producers are still waiting to see what these new changes mean, do they apply just to local filmmakers or to foreign financed projects as well? Also, what constitutes "ordinary content" has not been clarified, and it's likely that taboo topics that portray the Chinese government in a bad light may not get a pass. In addition, all finished films will have to screen for the censors before getting approval for theatrical release. Ultimately the move may prove to be meaningless to Hollywood producers for now, but may indicate a willingness to relax regulations further in the future.